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Associated Press
3 days ago
- Politics
- Associated Press
Turkey says Israel and Kurdish fighters should stop destabilizing Syria
ANKARA (AP) — Israel and Kurdish fighters should stop threatening the security and stability of Syria, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Wednesday. Speaking at a news conference in Ankara with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani, Fidan accused Israel and the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, of undermining the country's efforts to reestablish itself after more than a decade of civil war. He said Israel had 'fueled certain difficulties' in Syria and warned that Israeli security 'cannot be achieved through undermining the security of your neighbors.' 'To the contrary, you should make sure your neighboring countries are prosperous and secure. If you try to destabilize these countries, if you take steps to that end, this could trigger other crises in the region.' Since Islamist-led insurgents ousted former President Bashar Assad in a rebel offensive in December, the new interim government in Damascus has struggled to maintain stability and heal the wounds of the nearly 14-year civil war. Most recently, hundreds were killed in clashes in the southern province of Sweida between government forces and local Bedouin tribesmen on one side and fighters from the country's Druze minority on the other. Meanwhile, tensions have also risen between the central government and the U.S.-allied SDF that controls northeastern Syria. Implementation of an agreement reached in March to merge the SDF with the new Syrian army has stalled and there have been scattered outbreaks of violence between the two sides. Fidan accused the SDF of trying to turn instability in Syria into an 'opportunity for themselves.' Ankara views the SDF with hostility as the group is spearheaded by the People's Protection Units, or YPG, affiliated with the Kurdish group that recently entered a peace process with Turkey after more than 40 years of fighting. The SDF has said it is not party to the deal between Ankara and the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK. 'The upper echelons of the YPG need to stop stalling because the chaos they're waiting for (in Syria) will not take place, and even if it does, it will not be to their advantage,' Fidan said. He added: 'They shouldn't take us for fools. We have good intentions, but that doesn't mean we will turn a blind eye to your mischievous or devious ways.' Turkey has been supportive of Syria's new administration, which is formed largely by rebels that Ankara backed during the civil war. 'Every actor in the region is not as constructive as us,' Fidan said. 'There are certain people who have been meddling in the affairs of Syria, chief among whom is the Israeli administration.' Al-Shibani, meanwhile, said Israel's actions 'undermine the security of our citizens,' adding that 'certain countries want Syria to disintegrate based on ideologies, based on ethnicity, and obviously we are against all these efforts.'
France 24
14-07-2025
- Politics
- France 24
Gaza: Missile strike kills children collecting water, Israel blames 'technical error'
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Arab News
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
One SDF fighter killed in attack by Daesh in eastern Syria
CAIRO: The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, a militia group led by Kurdish fighters, said on Monday that one of its fighters was killed and another injured in an attack by Daesh in Syria's eastern Deir el-Zor region. The SDF was the main fighting force allied to the United States in Syria during fighting that defeated Daesh in 2019 after the group declared a caliphate across swathes of Syria and Iraq. The SDF reached an agreement in March to integrate with the Syrian government, now led by former militants who toppled President Bashar Assad last year. Syria's new authorities have clashed with Daesh fighters, particularly in the east. Last month, Daesh killed five SDF fighters in one of the deadliest recent attacks against the group.
Asharq Al-Awsat
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
One SDF Fighter Killed in Attack by ISIS in Eastern Syria
The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, a group led by Kurdish fighters, said on Monday that one of its fighters was killed and another injured in an attack by ISIS in Syria's eastern Deir Ezzor region. The SDF was the main fighting force allied to the United States in Syria during fighting that defeated ISIS in 2019 after the group seized swathes of Syria and Iraq. The SDF reached an agreement in March to integrate with the Syrian government, now led by former opposition groups that toppled President Bashar al-Assad last year. Syria's new authorities have clashed with ISIS fighters, particularly in the east. Last month ISIS killed five SDF fighters in one of the deadliest recent attacks against the group.
Al Arabiya
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
ISIS kills five Kurdish fighters in eastern Syria
ISIS said on Monday it killed five Kurdish fighters in an attack in eastern Syria's Deir el-Zor, according to the group's news agency. The spokesperson for Syria's Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces Farhad Shami confirmed to Reuters that five members were killed in the attack which he described as 'one of deadliest' against the group in a while. Deir el-Zor city was captured by ISIS in 2014, but the Syrian army retook it in 2017. The militant group imposed hardline extremist rule over millions of people in Syria and Iraq for years. Former ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared a caliphate over a quarter of the two states in 2014 before he was killed in a raid by US special forces in northwest Syria in 2019 as the group collapsed. It has been recently trying to stage a comeback in the Middle East, the West and Asia. With Reuters
